Watch CBS News

Best Bars For March Madness In New York City

Standings
credit: Standings/Facebook.com

Whether you're rooting for Syracuse, Kansas, Duke, UConn or Michigan, the competition during March Madness basketball is fierce. And the competition between bars is just as fierce. You need to find the best bar to celebrate those three-pointers and dunks. Downtown or uptown, there's a bar in New York City for you. Here's your top five list of the best bars for March Madness.

Professor Thom's 
219 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 260-9480
www.professorthoms.com

With 17 LCD screens conveniently placed along and around the 41-foot bar, you'll have no problem catching your favorite team on the court. Professor Thom's offers varied environments within its environs: head upstairs for the lounge with comfortable sofas or cheer along with the rowdier crew at the lower level bar. Personal booths are also available on the bar floor. With a great selection of draft beers and munchies to go along with it, you'll be enjoying your game all night long.

Overlook
225 East 44 Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 682-7266
www.overlooknyc.com

Naming itself the "premier sports bar in Midtown" and one of the best bars to watch college sports, Overlook's main draw is its rooftop bar. It also offers a wide array of beers and bar food to keep your stomach full throughout the game. If you're interested in throwing darts or shooting pool, Overlook's got that too. Close to Grand Central, Overlook's location is ideal. They are big Chicago fans but welcome sports lovers of any ilk.

Blondies
212 West 79 Street
New York, NY 10024
(212) 362-4360
www.blondiessports.com

If you want to chow down on Buffalo wings while you cheer on your team, Blondies is the sports bar for you. Blondies is said to serve some of the best wings in New York City, so don't miss out! Teams like Ohio State and Penn State call this bar home, but you can find any and all sports teams playing on the many televisions placed around the bar. If you want to host a viewing party, that's not a problem either, bring all your friends and request the party room for private sports viewing.

Related:  7 Best Bars to Watch NFL Football in NYC

Standings
43 East 7th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 420-0671
www.standingsbar.com

This East Village bar is a favorite spot for sports lovers of all kinds. Beer and wine is always available, and if you happen to be around on Friday night at 8 p.m., you'll get treated to free pizza. The bar doesn't have its own menu but does stock the menus of local favorites like Lombardis or Atomic Wings, so feel free to order in. With only 10 barstools and eight televisions, make sure you arrive early if you want to catch the entire game here.

Village Pourhouse
64 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 979-BEER
www.villagepourhouse.com

Another downtown bar, the Pourhouse features pretty much everything you want in a sports bar with beer on tap, cocktails, HDTVs, private party rooms and some delicious bar food. The Pourhouse prides itself on being a neighborhood bar, where all the bartenders know every person who walks through the door, and you'll make friends within minutes. Head here if you want to see any team play hoops.

Related: The 10 Best College Basketball Bars in NYC

Jennifer is a writer, reader, crafter, traveler and New Yorker. She works in midtown New York City for non-profit organizations. Her degrees are in communication studies and art history.You can contact Jennifer at @egyptologist. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.